The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-06-11

The question of ghosts is one which
admits of no middle view. One must
either believe there are or are not
ghosts. And yet but a comparatively
few years back the ghost would have
found many supporters and admirers
even among the most intelligent,
while among the commoner class he
was almost universally respected as
well as feared. The delicious thrill of
terror that crept down the spine of the
youngster as, having spent an evening
in listening to the witch tales of some
venerable grandam, he stole home
ward, his heated fancy turning every
painted post into a white-robed spec
ter, will never be forgotten by those
who have experienced it. But now,
alas! his ghostship has fled before the
onward march of civilization; or, if in
deed he do remain, he is but a tame,
spiritless, and altogether uninteresting
ghost, III unfit descendant of his ghast-
ly and terrible ancestor, the ghost of
the past
Speaking of ghosts" said an old
resident of Chicago the other evening,
''the ghosts nowadays amt worth no.
>ticing. Itell you, boys, you ought to
have been in Chicago thirty or forty
years ago. Why, the city was full of
'em then-frst-class ones, too. None
of your cowardly, sneaking ghosts that
go round rapping on tables and don't
dare show themselves, but regular
Observation-Disclosures ghosts that would
make your hair stand on end and just
scare the life out of you. Every street
had its own particular spook, and if he
were caught off from his beat the po-
lice were sent out to fetch him in.
There no use in talking, there amt a
decent, respectable ghost in Chicago
to-day"
One of the earliest and, at one time,
best-known ghosts to visit Chicago had
its haunt on the prairie adjoining what
was then the northwestern portion of
the city. 1t is more than forty years
since this restless spirit vanished for
ever from earthly scenes, and it is
doubtful if there are more than a dozen
people now living in the city who will
remember the somewhat eccentric
career of this remarkable "spook. "
Instead of choosing the appropriate
midnight hour, when churchyards are
properly supposed to yawn, for its air.
ing on upper earth, this ghost chose
the early evening for its rambles, ant
was usually visible on moonlit even
ings, shortly after nightfall, when il
would glide through the atmosphere
its single garment of somewhat
yellowish-white trailing just above
the tops of the prairie grass
doubtless correctly believing tina
it would find more admirers a
that time than at the later houI
when all honest people are supposed t.
be in bed. The figure was that of
woman with straggly hair of ebon hue
both arms stretched before her, as if il
the vain attempt to grasp situation o
something else that had been lost. Sh,
was the terror of the vicinity, but sh,
had one excellent quality-she KEEP
the unruly children in the house, whel
parental discipline had failed to pro
duce the same effect. Her age, nation
atty, and former condition were neve
discovered, for tn re were none bolt
or disrespectful enough to intrude oil
her privacywith impertinent questions
But at last she was missed from he
accustomed haunts and seen no more
1t is presumed that she had found wha
she was looking for and gone to bed t.
sleep the long sleep of reace.
The West Indiana street ghost, equal
" as eccentric but in a different way
fulfilled its mission on earth a fey
years later. 1t confined its pr sence t
one house, long since pulled Iowa Y